Into The Storm

27

Frinnor was burning, and there was nothing that Rosalis could do about it. War had come and it was tearing everything apart. It was pure madness. Chaos was quickly spread throughout the kingdom, knights coming and knights dying. Wolfgimm's soldiers ploughed through them like they were nothing. Rosalis crept through the blood stained streets of Frinnor, her sword in her hand, being prepared to cut down any enemy that came at her. Suddenly, one soldier jumped out at her and she swiftly cut him down, not giving him a chance to use his sword. Another one ran at her, his spear in his hand. Rosalis clashed her sword with the spear's handle, bringing it to the ground and then stepped over to her enemy, cutting him down. A pair of Wolfgrimm's soldiers manned a catapult and loaded a giant rock onto it. One of them coated it in tar and the other put a burning torch to it, setting it aflame. Without waiting for a command, they released the ropes, letting the catapult fire its projectile towards the city. The flaming rock flew through the air and collided with a tower, immediately destroying it, causing huge chunks of concrete to scatter itself all over the city. Some combatants and some allies were crushed beneath them, pulverised into the ground. Large licks of flame flew everywhere, setting houses ablaze.

One of Wolfgrimm's soldiers stalked Elspeth through the castle corridors, there being no one to protect her. Everyone was off fighting in the war. She was left on her own. Elspeth took a dagger from a table and pointed it at her enemy as she backed away from him. Suddenly, Edmund's son burst in, stabbing the knight through the face with his sword. Another knight came out from behind Elspeth and grabbed her. She kicked her leg back, her foot colliding with his shin. The knight cried out and she spun round, stabbing him through the throat. She drew the blade out and the knight collapsed to the ground, dying within seconds. Elspeth stood in place, the bloody dagger shaking in her hands.

Wolfgrimm made his way through the burning city, searching for Edmund whilst cutting down his enemies with ease. Then, he spotted him in his sights. Edmund cut down one of his enemies and then turned, catching his prime enemy out of the corner of his eye. Wolfgrimm swiftly walked up to him and swung his sword at him. Edmund put his blade up, blocking the attack and they began to fight. Wolfgrimm swung his sword with a ferocity that caused Edmund to judder, but still, he continued to fight, his bones vibrating. Suddenly, Wolfgrimm cried out and collapsed to his knees. Edmund looked up and saw a knight with his spear inside Wolfgrimm's back.

"Run, my lord!" He yelled. Edmund obeyed and proceeded to retreat back towards the castle. Wolfgrimm snarled and yelled, got up. Grabbing the spear behind himself he drew it out of his back and stabbed it into the knight, killing him instantly. He turned back around and proceeded to hunt after Edmund. The knights quickly formed ranks and stood in front of their enemy, protecting their king with their lives. They fought valiantly, but Wolfgrimm cut them down and proceeded to make his way towards the castle. He cut down the guards at the front and kicked the doors open. Suddenly, six knights appeared, clad in shining armour, carrying longswords and shields. Edmund's reserve custodians. They all slashed their swords at him, some getting lucky, scarring his face. Wolfgrimm dodged the rest of the attacks and fought them with all of the strength that he could muster, himself being outnumbered by sextuple. He slashed his sword at one of them, killing him, just as a sword went through his armour. Quickly looking down at it, he cut down the attacking knight, the blade not having gone deep enough to cut him. He went for his next target. Some moments went by, and all six reserve custodians were laying on the ground, dead. Wolfgrimm doubled over and clutched at his poleyns, panting, blood running down his face. Snarling, he stood up straight once more and burst into the throne room, seeing Edmund. He then walked into the hall and they both stared at each other. Wolfgrimm walked up to him and without saying a word, he roared and swung his sword at the king. Edmund defended himself and steel clashed with steel. The king clashed his blade with Wolfgrimm's and swung his sword in a large circle in an attempt to disarm him. The greatsword hit the floor, cracking it, but still Wolfgrimm kept a firm grip. He suddenly delivered an elbow to Edmund, forcing him to step back. Wolfgrimm stabbed at his target, piercing through his arm and sharply twisted the sword. Edmund screamed in pain and collapsed to his knees, himself wounded badly. He propped himself up on his sword and then looked up at Wolfgrimm, who was pointing his blade at his face.

"Kneel to me and give up your kingdom." He said.

"I will never bow down to a tyrant such as yourself." Edmund replied.

"So be it." He raised his sword up into the air when suddenly, the palace doors were kicked open and Rosalis burst in, just as Wolfgrimm brought his blade down, beheading the king. The sword fell to the floor from the king's dead fingers, juddering loudly and his corpse slumped down, blood quickly pouring out of the stump like a pipe from a sewer. Wolfgrimm picked up Edmund's head and showed it to her, letting the blood splatter onto the floor. His mouth was twisted into a psychotic grin, his armour and face splattered with blood. He suddenly began laughing triumphantly, his laugh echoing through the hall. He threw the decapitated head at the custodian's feet. Rosalis looked down at it, shocked, her eyes wide. She had failed. She had failed to keep her oath. She looked up at Wolfgrimm. Her eyes twisted themselves into an anger, her lips quivered slightly, curling into a snarl, her grip tightened on her sword. Suddenly, something inside her snapped. She roared in a furious rage and proceeded to swiftly walk up to him, spinning her sword in her hand once, slicing an imaginary enemy in half. "Come on then!" Wolfgrimm shouted at her. "Fight me! Let us see what you have got to bring to this duel!" He suddenly swung his sword at her and she parried the attack, her blade clashing with his. They fought each other, clashing and parrying, trying to kill their enemy. Rosalis thrust out her sword at her target and the blade pierced through his armour and into his flesh. He cried out and collapsed to one knee, supporting himself with his blade. Rosalis drew her sword out and Wolfgrimm stood up once more, shaking off the stab wound. They continued to fight. Wolfgrimm seized a chance and stabbed Rosalis through the poleyn, wounding her knee. Drawing his sword out, he parried the attack that was sent at him and stabbed her through her plackart, wounding her chest. She cried out in agony, but continued to fight, despite being heavily wounded and bleeding. They fought and Rosalis clashed her sword with his and then thrust her blade out, stabbing him in the throat. Wolfgrimm suddenly spurted up blood and she drew her blade out. Clutching at his profusely bleeding neck, Wolfgrimm collapsed to the ground, slowly dying. Rosalis panted and placed the tip of her sword onto his bloody and ruined neck. Wolfgrimm looked up at her. His eyebrows jumped up and down once and he grinned at her, showing her his bloody teeth. "Do it." he urged her. "Finish it."

After a small moment, Rosalis sheathed her sword. Wolfgrimm suddenly began laughing.

"I thought that you had it in you." He taunted her. "I really thought that you were going to kill me. But no. Look at you, you're just a fair maiden after all. You don't have the guts to kill me."

"You're right." Rosalis suddenly replied. "A longsword would do you no good." She limped over to Wolfgrimm's fallen greatsword and picked it up, groaning as she had to bend down. Dragging it across the stone floor, she stepped back over to him, scraping the three kilogram slab of steel. She then raised the sword up into the air, both hands on the grip, the point aimed at him. She brought it down onto him and Wolfgrimm groaned loudly as he mustered up his remaining strength and rolled out of the way just in time. The blade hit the stone floor, shattering in half, spraying fragments of steel everywhere. Wolfgrimm stood up, wobbling slightly on his legs and then showed Rosalis his hands, telling her to come forward.

"Come on then..." He urged her, panting. Suddenly, he spat a large amount of blood onto the floor. "...fight me. Let us see if you really have what it takes."

And so she did, slicing what was left of the sword at him. Wolfgrimm managed to dodge the attacks but then suddenly, Rosalis thrust the broken blade out at him, letting the jagged points stab him in the throat. Wolfgrimm spurted up blood from his mouth and Rosalis pushed the sword in deeper, mortally wounding him. She then released the handle. Wolfgrimm drew the broken sword out and dropped it to the floor. Blood proceeded to profusely run out of his ruined neck, splattering onto the floor. More blood ran from his mouth and his feet collapsed beneath him, the last of his strength swiftly leaving him. Some small seconds then passed by and Wolfgrimm was dead. Rosalis looked down at her fallen enemy's corpse before collapsing to her hands and knees. She panted, being completely exhausted. She then suddenly collapsed to the floor completely and rolled over, looking up at the ceiling of the palace. Turning her head to the side, she saw Edmund's corpse and then looked back up at the ceiling, just as a single tear fell from her eye.